System and method for collecting media associated with a mobile device

ABSTRACT

A mobile device ( 104 ) interacts with a media collection system ( 102 ). The media collection system has a communication nodes ( 106 ) placed at various locations in a region, area, or facility where the mobile device may be carried by a user. The mobile device interacts ( 306 ) with the media collection system over a short range radio link ( 206 ) to request media collection service. The media collection system then uses media collection devices ( 107 ) in the same region, area, or facility as the communication nodes to record media, thereby producing a record of the user&#39;s experiences in the region, area, or facility. The collected media is stored on a database ( 112 ) which accessible by the user using an access identifier.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates in general to media collection systems andmethods, and more particularly to the collection of media relating to aperson's experiences while in a vicinity of a media collection system.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

People come into contact with media collection systems in varioussettings, the most common of which may be so called security cameras inbusiness establishments and in public venues. These systems includesensors to collect pictographic and sometimes audiographic informationto record experiences and happenings in the vicinity of the mediacollection system. Typically the media collected by these systems arefor the benefit of an owner or operator of the system. For example,video information may be recorded in a retail facility to help lawenforcement authorities solve any crimes that may be committed on thepremises. In fact, some law enforcement agencies use facial recognitionto identify persons in public venues who may be of interest to theagency. The information collected is not typically shared with others,except, for example in situations where help is sought from the publicin identifying persons whose image has been captured in the collectedmedia. The information is not shared directly with the people who appearin the collected media.

Presently, some researchers are conducting experiments which involve the“digitization” of a person's experiences. Sensors and other mediacollection devices are worn or carried by the person, and various data,images, video, and sounds may be recorded to form a record of theperson's experiences, actions, interactions, as well as ambientconditions such as temperature, atmospheric pressure, and relativehumidity. The amount of information collected may be quite substantial,and require somewhat bulky equipment to be worn or carried by a user,including the means to power the collection equipment. The collection ofsuch information may be beneficial in many ways, such as, for example,helping a person to remember where they may have left an object,identifying people with whom the person interacted, the time of onset orchanges of physiological conditions, and so on. People have generallyavoided collecting a comprehensive media record of their experiences inpart due to the limitations associated with the equipment necessary todo so. Instead, people generally choose to record only very significantexperiences by use of hand held still image and video cameras, if atall.

Given that people often come into the purview of media collectionsystems, it would therefore be beneficial to allow people access tocollected or recorded media in which they may appear. Furthermore, suchmedia collection may be enhanced to a degree that people are willing topay a reasonable fee to have their experiences recorded for them incertain situations.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a block schematic diagram of a media collection system, inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 shows a block schematic diagram of mobile device for use with amedia collection system, in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 3 shows a flow chart diagram of a method of collecting media, inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 shows a flow chart diagram of a method of collecting media, inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 5 shows a flow chart diagram of a method of collecting media, inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

While the specification concludes with claims defining the features ofthe invention that are regarded as novel, it is believed that theinvention will be better understood from a consideration of thefollowing description in conjunction with the drawing figures, in whichlike reference numerals are carried forward.

Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a block schematic diagram 100 ofa media collection system 102, in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention. The media collection system 102 works in conjunction with amobile device 104 via a one or more wireless communication nodes 106.The communication nodes 106 allow wireless communication betweenappropriately equipped mobile devices and the media collection system.They are relatively low power, and may be designed to provide an airinterface such as those provided by the Institute for Electrical andElectronic Engineers (IEEE) specifications 802.15.1 and 802.11. IEEE802.15.1 is known more commonly by the trade name Bluetooth, while IEEE802.11 is known as wireless local area network (WLAN), or wirelessfidelity (WiFi). Numerous other air interfaces may exist or be createdwhich will operate to allow communication between the communicationnodes and mobile devices. The communication nodes are located in placeswhere a user of the mobile device will pass by within radio range of thecommunication node. It is preferred to use a low power interface, suchas those of WiFi or Bluetooth because their low power provides bettergranularity in determining the location of mobile in the network ofcommunication nodes. It is contemplated, however, that the communicationnodes may be operated on a wide area network, such as cellular telephonynetworks. Similarly, the media collection system includes a plurality ofmedia collection devices 107, such as cameras and microphones. The mediacollection devices and communication nodes are connected via network 108to a media collection controller 110. The media collection controller110 includes computer and data processing elements as well as memory andinstruction code as appropriate, in accordance with the teachingsherein. The media collection controller is further coupled to a database112 or other mass storage media. The collected and digitized media isstored on the database. A server 114 allows access to the stored mediavia a data network 116 which may include public wide area data networks,such as the internet. A user of the mobile device 104 may interface withthe server 114 by using a computer 118 or other suitable equipment.

The communication nodes 106 and media collection devices are placed inlocations where users may desire to have their experiences recorded. Forexample, the media collection system may be used to record theexperiences of people in an amusement or theme park, retail and shoppingfacilities, sporting event venues, and so on. The communication nodesmay be co-located with the media collection devices, or they may beplaced in different places. Furthermore, there is no necessarycorrespondence between the number of communication nodes and the numberof media collection devices used in the system. There may be severalmedia collection devices in the vicinity of a given communication node,positioned at different angles, for example.

The media collection devices operate under control of the mediacollection controller, and send collected media to the controller forprocessing and storage in the database 112. The media collection devicemay collect media in a variety of formats, including still images, videoclips, streaming video, and audio. The media collection devices mayprovide captured media to the media collection controller, or they mayprovide streamed media to the media collection controller which thenharvests appropriate media from the streamed content. For example, themedia collection device may be a video camera providing a live videofeed to the media collection controller, and the media collectioncontroller produces video clips or still images from the video feed.

In operation, the mobile device may be moved throughout the regioncovered by the network of communication nodes and media collectiondevices. As the mobile device moves, it comes into radio contact withdifferent communication nodes, giving a general location of the mobiledevice. The mobile device may use, for example, a unique identifier sothat it may be identified. As the mobile device moves from associatingwith one communication node to associating with the next communicationnode, such association changes are reported to the media collectioncontroller 110. The media collection controller 110 maintainsinformation as to which media collection devices 107 are in the vicinityof the communication node with which the mobile device is presentlyassociated. The media collection controller may then collect media fromthose media collection devices in the vicinity of the mobile device.

Referring now to FIG. 2, there is shown a block schematic diagram of amobile device 200, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.Central to the operation of the mobile device 200 is a controller 202which operates in accordance with instruction code stored in a memory204. The instruction code causes the mobile device to operate inaccordance with the teachings herein, and may facilitate additionaloperation and functions not discussed here. The mobile device includes ashort range radio modem 206 which allows the mobile device tocommunicate with the communication nodes 106, and possible other devicesif designed to operate according to any of the existing air interfacestandards. As mentioned the short range modem may be designed to operateaccording to IEEE specifications 802.15.1 or 802.11, as is known. Otherspecifications may be used equivalently. The mobile device uses theshort range radio modem to both detect the presence of a communicationnode, as well communicate with the media collection system via thecommunication nodes. The mobile device may be, for example, a cellulartelephone, and include a wide area radio modem 208 for communicatingwith cellular networks. The mobile device may further comprise a userinterface 210, which includes control and interface elements to allow auser to interact with the mobile device, control its operation, andinput to and receive information from the mobile device. For example,there may be provided a graphical display 212, a microphone 214, speaker216, and keypad and other buttons 218. Furthermore it is contemplatedthat the mobile device may comprise a satellite positioning receiver220, such as a global positioning satellite receiver, which allow themobile device to determine its location. The location information may bereported over either the short range of the wide are radio modems, orboth. In particular, the location information may be reported orprovided to the media collection system to allow the media collectionsystem to decide which media collection devices 107 are most appropriateto use for collecting media that will include the user of the mobiledevice. It is further contemplated that the mobile device may provideother information to the media collection system to facilitate thecollection of media that includes the user of the mobile device. Forexample, an image of the user may be provided to the media collectionsystem so that facial recognition may be used by the media collectionsystem to identify the user via the media collection devices.

Referring now to FIG. 2, there is shown a block schematic diagram of amobile device 200, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.Central to the operation of the mobile device 200 is a controller 202which operates in accordance with instruction code stored in a memory204. The instruction code causes the mobile device to operate inaccordance with the teachings herein, and may facilitate additionaloperation and functions not discussed here. The mobile device includes ashort range radio modem 206 which allows the mobile device tocommunicate with the communication nodes 106, and possible other devicesif designed to operate according to any of the existing air interfacestandards. As mentioned the short range modem may be designed to operateaccording to IEEE specifications 802.15.1 or 802.11, as is known. Otherspecifications may be used equivalently. The mobile device uses theshort range radio modem to both detect the presence of a communicationnode, as well as communicate with the media collection system via thecommunication nodes. The mobile device may be, for example, a cellulartelephone, and include a wide area radio modem 208 for communicatingwith cellular networks. The mobile device may further comprise a userinterface 210, which includes control and interface elements to allow auser to interact with the mobile device, control its operation, andinput to and receive information from the mobile device. For example,there may be provided a graphical display 212, a microphone 214, speaker216, and keypad and other buttons 218. Furthermore it is contemplatedthat the mobile device may comprise a satellite positioning receiver220, such as a global positioning satellite receiver, which allows themobile device to determine its location. The location information may bereported over either the short range of the wide area radio modems, orboth. In particular, the location information may be reported orprovided to the media collection system to allow the media collectionsystem to decide which media collection devices 107 are most appropriateto use for collecting media that will include the user of the mobiledevice. It is further contemplated that the mobile device may provideother information to the media collection system to facilitate thecollection of media that includes the user of the mobile device. Forexample, an image of the user may be provided to the media collectionsystem so that facial recognition may be used by the media collectionsystem to identify the user via the media collection devices.

Referring now to FIG. 3 there is shown a flowchart diagram 300 of amethod for collecting media, in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention. At the start 302, the mobile device is powered on andperforming its normal operations. The user of the mobile device bringsit within a region covered by a media collection system. The mobiledevice then detects the presence of the media collection system 304. Thedetection of the media collection system may occur automatically, or itmay be prompted by the user by searching for a wireless broadcastindicating a presence of the media collection system via the userinterface 210. Upon detection of the media collection system, the mobiledevice commences negotiating for media collection service 306. Thenegotiation may include a request for service 308. In response toreceiving the request, the media collection system selects an accessidentifier 310 to be used in association with collected media associatedwith the mobile device. The media collection system may set up a storagefile or account directory 312 on the database 112. Media collected inassociation with the mobile device will be then stored in the directory.The media collection system will also transmit the access identifier tothe mobile device 314. The access identifier may be used by the user ofthe mobile device to access the collected media stored in the databaseand associated with the user's account or directory. The accessidentifier may take the form of a unique internet uniform resourcelocator (URL) which may be received and interpreted by the server 114 toaccess the collected media associated with the mobile device.

After the negotiation is finished and the account or directory is set upthe media collection system may then commence collecting mediaassociated with the mobile device. Generally, the media collectionsystem detects or determines the location of the mobile device 316. Thelocation may be in the form of geographic location coordinates, or itmay simply be a mapping of the mobile device to the nearest mediacollection devices 107 or communication node 106. In one embodiment, forexample, the media collection system may receive positioning coordinatesfrom the mobile device if the mobile device has a satellite positioningreceiver and can receive satellite positioning signals. Alternatively,the media collection system may use radio triangulation amongcommunication nodes closest to the mobile device as determined, forexample, by received radio signal strength. In another embodiment it iscontemplated that facial recognition of the user of the mobile devicemay be used for location purposes. Facial recognition may be facilitatedby providing an image or facial recognition parameters corresponding tothe user or persons associated with the user to the media collectionsystem. The media collection system may then compare live video feedsagainst the received information and save media or flag feeds that matchthe information. Alternatively, the comparison may be performed onstored media to determine the presence of the user or persons associatedwith user in the collected media.

Furthermore, it is contemplated that the mobile device may be a mediacollection device which performs self-collection activity. Once themedia collection system has commenced media collection service, themobile device may then cease the self-collection activity, for example,upon receiving the access identifier 314. By ceasing the self-collectionactivity, the mobile device will reduce energy consumption, conservingbattery charge, and storage space on the device.

Once the location is determined, the media collection system correlatesthe location to one or more media collection devices in the vicinity ofthe mobile device 318. The media collection system then commencesproducing and collecting media 320. As used here, the term collectingmedia implies that the media is produced by the media collection system,such as through the use of cameras, sound recording devices, or anyother device that may produce a record of the user's experience orenvironment, or both. Subsequently, the collected media is appropriatelystored 322 in the system's database. The collected media may becollected and stored as a continuous stream of information, such asvideo, or it may be collected periodically or at opportune times.

The detection, correlation, collection, and storage steps may berepeated as needed. When the collection service is no longer necessaryor needed, the method ends 324, leaving the collected media accessibleto the user by use of the access identifier. The service may no longerbe needed if, for example, the mobile device moves outside of the regionserviced by the media collection system, or if the user decides to havethe collecting ended. The collection system may confirm the cessation ofcollection activity by notification, at which time the mobile device mayresume or commence a self-collection activity. It is contemplated that,while collecting the media, the system may time stamp or location stamp,or both, the collected media. That is, the time/location are recordedwith the media. Furthermore, when the media is collected, the system mayinform the mobile device of the collection activity, including the timeinformation so that the user may track system activity.

Referring now to FIG. 4, there is shown a flow chart diagram 400 of amethod collecting media in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention. The method illustrated is a more detailed example of steps316-322 of FIG. 3. Upon determining the location of the mobile device316, the system may determine the location of media collection devicesin the vicinity of the mobile device 402. There are a number ofdifferent ways this may be performed. For example, the system may mapspecific collection devices to a given communication node. When themobile device associates with the communication node, for radiocommunication, one or more collection devices associated with thecommunication node may be used to collect media. Alternatively, thesystem may make a finer location determination by use of locationinformation received from the mobile device, or radio triangulation.Once the location of the mobile device and appropriate collectiondevices are determined, the system controller 110 may determine if acollection criteria is met 404. The collection criteria may include, forexample, time since the last collection event, lighting conditions,facial recognition of the user, and so on. If the criteria isn't met,the method repeats, and may have to track the mobile device to otherlocations. If the collection criteria is met, the system commencescollecting the appropriate media 406. In the initial negotiation forservice the particular type of media to be collected may be established.The mobile device may request only still images be collected, or thatvideo in addition to still images may be collected. Furthermore, thefrequency of collection events may be established in the initial requestnegotiation. Each time media is collected, it is then stored 408 in theappropriate file, directory, or data structure where it may be lateraccessed and served to the user. Some collection systems, such assecurity systems, may simply flag certain recording as being of interestto, or associated with the user's access identifier so that subsequentlythe user, upon providing the access identifier, may be provided thespecific recordings identified as being of interest.

Referring now to FIG. 5, there is shown a flow chart diagram 500 of amethod of accessing collected media in accordance with an embodiment ofthe invention. At the start 502, the media is stored on the database 112of the media collection system, and is accessible by the server 114. Theserver receives a request 504 to access specific media stored on thedatabase. The request includes the access identifier, which is verifiedby the server 506, 508. If the access identifier doesn't verify, themethod terminates 516. The server may request re-submission of theaccess identifier and repeat the process. If the access identifier isverified, according to one embodiment of the invention, the serverlocates the media 510, and presents an interface 512 to the user. Theinterface allows the user to, for example, preview the collected media,and transfer selected files to the user's computer over the data networkor internet 514.

It is further contemplated that the media collection system may simplyconstantly record media, and, upon being accessed by a user, search therecorded media for media that includes or relates to the user. Facialrecognition may be one way to identify media including the user, forexample. Additionally, a log of the user's location over time may beprovided to the media collection system to help the media collectionsystem locate relevant media.

While the preferred embodiments of the invention have been illustratedand described, it will be clear that the invention is not so limited.Numerous modifications, changes, variations, substitutions andequivalents will occur to those skilled in the art without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by theappended claims.

1. A method for collecting media content by a media collection system in cooperation with a mobile device, the method comprising: broadcasting, by the media collection system, a presence of the media collection system at a communication node via a wireless interface; receiving, by the media collection system, from the mobile device a media collection request via the wireless interface; providing, by the media collection system, an access identifier to the mobile device in response to receiving the media collection request; collecting, by the media collection system, pictographic media from at least one media collection device located in a vicinity of the mobile device in response to receiving the media collection request and in response to determining, by the media collection system, a location of a user of the mobile device via facial recognition in the pictographic media; storing the pictographic media in the media collection system; and providing, by the media collection system, access to the pictographic media via a data network to the user of the mobile device when the user of the mobile device provides the access identifier to the media collection system.
 2. A method for collecting media content by the media collection system, as defined in claim 1, wherein collecting pictographic media is performed in response to a collection criteria being met.
 3. A method for collecting media content by the media collection system, as defined in claim 2, wherein the collection criteria includes recognizing the user of the mobile device via facial recognition.
 4. A method for collecting media content by the media collection system, as defined in claim 2, wherein the collection criteria includes an elapsed time from a previous media collection.
 5. A method for collecting media content by the media collection system, as defined in claim 1, further comprising determining a present location of the mobile device, and wherein collecting media by the media collection system from the at least one media collection device located in the vicinity of the mobile device is performed with the benefit of the present location of the mobile device.
 6. A method for collecting media content by the media collection system, as defined in claim 5, wherein determining the present location of the mobile device is performed by receiving positioning information from the mobile device.
 7. A method for collecting media content by the media collection system, as defined in claim 5, wherein determining the present location of the mobile device is performed by radio triangulation of the mobile device in relation to a plurality of communication nodes of the media collection system.
 8. A method for collecting media content by the media collection system, as defined in claim 1, wherein providing the access identifier comprises providing a unique uniform resource locator to the mobile device.
 9. A method for collecting media content by the media collection system, as defined in claim 1, wherein collecting pictographic media in the vicinity of the mobile device comprises stamping the pictographic media with at least one of a time stamp or a location stamp.
 10. A method for collecting media content by the media collection system, as defined in claim 1, wherein the pictographic media comprises at least one of: a still image, a video clip, and a streaming video associated with the user of the mobile device. 